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Myrna
Myrna is a fairytale character from the Once Upon A Time story Never-Ending Story. At 5"2, she is incredibly small, and she was born in a place called Lorna Vale, Myrna is aged 15-17 over the course of her story. Her fairytale is an adaption of The Six Swans, collected by the Brothers Grimm. Her name means 'festive' or 'beloved', depending on the source you look at. 'Background' Lorna Vale is a small province in the fairytale world that spans a large valley situated between two great mountains. Caves running into the mountains on the valley’s side lead to mines of gold (Aurum) and silver (Argent), which is what makes Lorna such a wealthy province. Ruled by the same family for many generations, the Vale has long prospered. It is easily defensible, having only two ways in at either end, as it is nigh on impossible to climb over the mountains in numbers of any strength. A place full of rivers and forest, the castle is situated tucked up against Aurum, slightly raised, and looking down on the whole of the valley. One end comes out into a greater forest, which spans for two days before you reach the end, here, you reach the coast, and Saline Hold. Saline and Lorna have long been allies, sharing a common enemy in the western end of Lorna Vale, where the Jacobi Plains spread out. Myrna is the 7th and final child of Lord Dommiel of the Vale, and his first wife, Lyra. She never met her mother, as Lyra died while giving birth to Myrna, passing before she could even hold her daughter. Dommiel was grief stricken by this, he remained himself long enough to name her ‘Myrna’, but after that he realised how she had her mother’s eyes, and he became a different man following his wife’s death. He became solely focused on his leadership duties, and neglected his family more with each passing year. For the first few years of her life, Myrna was under the care of nursemaids, but later her brothers began to raise her between them. Because of this, Myrna had a fairly unusual upbringing for a young lady of a noble house. She ran rampant in the woods with her brothers, swam in the lakes, rode horses wildly, and neglected such female tasks such as needlework and music, to the despair of her true caregivers. She was exceedingly close with her brothers, who looked out for her like a vicious wolf pack if need be, and had a relatively happy childhood playing around the Vale. Her life was saddened however, whenever people spoke of her mother, and how she looked like her, and the way in which her father ignored her. She barely knows Dommiel, and her eldest brother Jorah is more the biggest supporting figure she has. When she was 14 years old, Jorah was nearly married in a political alliance to end the feud with Lord Raynar of Jacobi, but it was a set up and Raynar attempted to launch an attack on the Lornans from within their own castle. It failed, and he pulled back, but war had begun again, and her father rode out with his men and their allies from Saline to return the act of violence. At that time, Jorah was 24, William & Damon 22, Harley 19, and Arthur 17. All five brothers rode out with their father, but Thomas (15) had to remain in the Vale with Myrna, as he was still too young for full warfare. Something that angered him, but he was placated when he was told by Jorah that his mission was to protect his sister. When Dommiel returned from war, with a new wife, everything began to change in the Vale. 'Appearance' Myrna is a very short girl, with a slight figure, often described as ‘willowy’ or almost like a wisp. She has a pale complexion, and very delicate features; she isn’t a remarkable beauty, but she is pretty, and her real beauty comes from the way she carries herself/the look in her eyes. Said eyes are a dark shade of green, and she is sometimes described with an almost fey appearance, with light brown hair hanging dead straight, often framing her face. 'Personality' She has a very sensitive soul, Myrna is able to pick up on things easily without people having to say, and can usually read how a person is feeling, more so when she knows them well. She has a strong spirit, and is not easily given in to feeling despair at the possibility of failing a task, she tries to remain positive, and figure out how she can accomplish it. Displaying a steely determination at times, and a single minded focus on something once her mind is set to it. Myrna feels very easily, she isn’t afraid to show her love for those she cares about, and is a ‘heart-on-sleeve’ kind of person. Being largely raised by boys has given her different priorities to most young ladies, and she values true honesty rather than hiding things, she doesn’t lie because she feels it’s wrong, and she abhors subterfuge. She hates for others to feel pain or distress, and will do what she can to help those in need. She’s got a good heart, and isn’t afraid to give. 'Ambitions' As a girl, she is expected to make a match that will benefit her family, and her ambitions should be to meet that end by improving herself in ladylike tasks. Still, as with all fairytale girls, she would simply like to find love; but her focus isn’t on the romantic, she just wants her father to acknowledge her, and to make him proud. 'Strengths' She’s always happy to help people, and makes herself open to those in need, being as generous as she can. She has a fitness level akin to her brothers, as a result of running after them for years, and she can sustainably look after herself in a forest. She’s much more of a freethinker than standard young ladies, and she isn’t afraid to speak her mind. 'Weaknesses' She feels very strongly, and that sets her up to be emotionally hurt by things in life. Her brother’s over care for her left her with almost a subconscious expectancy that they’d always be there to help her, and she is off balance without them in her life, making her liable to make more mistakes. She tries to see the best in people, and often doesn’t realise until too late that she should have been more careful, a lesson that once she learnt, gave her issues with trusting people again. She has confidence issues about her ability to be loved, because while she had plenty from her brothers, the fact that her father was so distant gave her a lot of mental grief while she was growing up. 'Habits' She likes to craft things with her hands, not sewing, but craving things from wood and making ornaments/charms. She’ll normally have the tools somewhere on her person, and if she feels the need to fiddle, they will be pulled out. She has a habit of rambling on when she’s scared or nervous about something, and she’ll always smile more when she’s unhappy. 'Relationships' 'Family' 'Lyra' Myrna never met her mother, but she is constantly being compared to her, and people always comment on how alike they look. Lyra allegedly had the same build and features as Myrna, right down to the eyes. Myrna wishes that she could have gotten to meet her mother, and feels guilty that she took her away from her brothers, despite their assurances that that’s not what happened. She wants to know what her mother would think of her, and as a child made an imaginary friend out of Lyra 'Dommiel' Her father found it hard to look at her from the day she was born, after noticing her eyes when he named her, they reminded him too much of his wife. Still raw over the loss of Lyra, Dommiel could barely stand to be around the child that had survived where she had not; he didn’t blame Myrna, but she was a reminder of what had happened. As the years went on, she grew to look more and more like Lyra, and he found it harder and harder to be around her. He loved her dearly, as she was the only reminder he had of his wife, both good and bad, but he couldn’t show that as he was so tapped in his grief that all he could display to her was coolness and distance. He didn’t take much care in her upbringing, leaving her to be raised almost entirely by her band of brothers, paying her barely any mind. She desperately wanted to be seen and loved in her father’s eyes, wishing that there was something she could to do make him see her. 'Jorah' Her eldest brother, being 10 when she was born, he took charge over all his little siblings when their mother died and their father retreated into his grief. Jorah is a born leader, having both strength and compassion, and he is a role model to all of his siblings. He loves and looks out for them all equally, but there is a special place in his heart for his only sister. He has always tried to make it known to her that their mother’s death wasn’t her fault, and Jorah is the first person she’ll run to if she needs comfort. He will always make time for his sister, even if he has other duties. They couldn’t spend as much time together after he turned 20, as he had to take on more leadership learning from his father, but they remained as emotionally close as they’d ever been. When he was 21 and going to his first battle, she tried to hide his sword so that he couldn’t leave. Jorah is the one who taught her how to carve, and before he rode out for war, she carved him a pendant to wear for good luck. Following his time as a swan, Jorah became a grave leader, but he changed the least out of the brothers. 'William' Eight years her senior, William is the most brash and impatient out of all the siblings. He has an inability to sit still, and always wants to go chasing some kind of action. He lives in the moment, and doesn’t worry about the future. While she was growing up, William would be the one to spirit her off on wild adventures without warning, and he also supported her in slightly more dangerous activities like scaling the mountain, climbing trees, and floating down the rushes on a small raft. He is frequently teased for constantly getting into trouble, and given reprimanding for ‘endangering’ their sister. Myrna knows that she only has to ask, and no matter how silly the request, William is the one who will bend heaven and earth to get it done; a power that she only mildly abused while growing up, before she learnt better. A fierce hothead, he uses an axe as his primary weapon. After returning to his human form, William felt he’d lost good years in his life, and he left his family soon after to seek out adventure. 'Damon' Twin to William, Damon is much calmer than his counterpart, and often played the voice of reason to William, being the only one he’d ever really listen to. Damon wasn’t warrior minded, despite his efficient skill with a blade, he was more the scholar of the siblings. Dommiel was content to leave Damon to his studies, so long as he didn’t neglect his warrior training, and so long as he knew he’d have to fight if called. Damon accepts his balanced life, but that doesn’t stop him from worming out of training when he can. He is the one who took over much of Myrna’s educational learning, and she’d sit patiently with him, where she would constantly fidget with assigned tutors. However, Damon is constantly trying to balance himself, because he fights for the calm he possesses. Inside, Damon is as volatile as William, but he suppresses it to save there being two uncontrollable brothers. The anger in him sometimes snaps out, shocking many people because it is such a strange occurrence. At times like that, only William or Myrna are able to calm him down again. Damon suffered the most affects from his time as a swan, having been the last brother to arrive, his swan siblings had had to pull the shirt over his neck moments before Myrna spoke, and because of the missing sleeve, he retains a swan wing in place of his left arm. It hampers him, he withdraws from most people, doesn’t like crowds, fears dogs, and feels adrift in the world. 'Harley' Harley alone of her brothers, shares her mother’s eyes. Five years older than her, he is the joker in the family, always with a funny story or witty crack to lighten the mood. He was the one that would sit with her and tell her a tale until she fell asleep as a child, he was light hearted at all times, and nothing ever seemed to be able to dampen his spirits. Harley had a gift for music, singing, the pipes, the harp; with him around, it was never quiet. He could alleviate any dark mood, and make the most hopeless thing seem doable. Harley always encouraged Myrna to do whatever she wanted in life, and so long as she believed she would, she’d be able to achieve it. His lesson in that is a big part of what helped her persevere with her task of weaving starwort in silence. When the curse was lifted, Harley retained his positive outlook on life, the fact that Myrna succeeded having proved him right that if you strived for something, you would achieve it. However, noticeably to others, his music and stories now held a darker and sadder cast to them, and his smile sometimes seemed a little forced. 'Arthur' Her elder by three years, Arthur was always the strategist, he could put his mind to a problem or task, and almost always he’d be able to think up a solution. While they were children, that expressed itself in planning the best way to sneak food from the kitchens, or escape their lessons, but as he grew older, he became an expert battle planner from his teen years. After one glance at a map, his mind would begin working on how best to look at the situation, and his opinions was valued by men who were many years his senior, giving him a sure confidence in hismelf. Arthur’s preferred weapon was a longbow, and he thought that Lorna Vale being enclosed by mountains should be used to their advantage, training himself to be able to shoot from the heights provided. He taught Myrna that she should never think anything unsolvable, you just need to apply some more abstract thinking and you’ll find what you need. After being freed, he returns to life in Lorna Vale, but he is more much more suspicious of strangers, and no longer as confident in himself as he was before. 'Thomas' The pair of them are the closest in age out of all the siblings (excluding the twins), only being one year apart. As the youngest boy, he’s always racing to catch up to his big brothers, and trying to match them as best he can. He’s looked after almost as much as Myrna, much to his chagrin, and he transfers this by applying even more brotherly worry to her than the others. Perhaps as a result of being closest in age, Myrna is closest to Thomas, and if one of them was in trouble, the other was likely with them. The small age gap ensured that she never really lost Thomas as a playmate to more important duties, and he knows he a little better than their elder brothers, simply because he’s spent longer amounts of time with her. Thomas is highly intuitive, and while he’s a warm and open hearted person like his sister, he will listen to his instincts if they tell him to be weary of someone or something. He felt that mistrust of Cecilia, and tried to warn his father and family, but they were all trying to accept it, and discounted him as just not wanting a replacement mother. None of them did, but they thought that his heart was overruling his instincts in this regard. When they were all released from the curse, Thomas had become a much more withdrawn young man, and he no longer trusted as many people as he used to, feeling that they had discounted him, and had they not, this could have been avoided. He couldn’t stand to be in the Vale anymore, and when Myrna returned to Saline Hold, he went with her, and lived with her and Fintan. 'Friends/Other' 'Cecilia' Her step-mother, and a new arrival in the house when Myrna was 15 years old. Cecilia wasn’t evil at first, she just wanted to be loved, and had always felt second best in her position in life. When they all returned to the Vale, Thomas and Myrna also felt something strange in Cecilia, but for her father’s sake, she said nothing and tried to accept her new step-mother. Never having had a proper mother figure in her life, Myrna thought that Cecilia might be something like that for her, not a replacement, but someone other than her brothers to look up to. Cecilia soon grew jealous of the boys, and got rid of them. Myrna was shocked at Cecilia apparent lack of care when her brothers went missing, and began to suspect. But Dommiel takes Cecilia’s side, and once Myrna knows, Cecilia can no longer have her around. Myrna grows to hate Cecilia while she’s in hiding, but she also fears her, and what she could be doing in the Vale now that there are no obstacles. Cecilia also hates Myrna even more after she’s gone, as because of her disappearance, Dommiel revealed how much he truly loved his daughter, and would constantly talk about her, to Cecilia’s anger. When she thinks Myrna is the mute ‘Verity’ in Saline, she orchestrates events that will lead to her being killed, including a false battle to draw Fintan away. When the curse is lifted and the brothers returned to human form, Cecilia is found out, and the sentencing is given over to Myrna by her brothers. She doesn’t want to lower herself to Cecilia’s level, and so she orders her taken away, with nothing, and given her chance to survive, if she can. 'Deirdre' Mother of Fintan, who lost her husband in the last war with the Jacobi, she is weary of Myrna from the start, and is constantly trying to get Fintan to send her away or stay away from her. She makes no secret of her dislike for Myrna, and she does everything within her power to make sure that Myrna knows she is unwelcome. Myrna holds no liking for Deirdre, but she has no reason to hate the other woman, they simply just do not get along. Deirdre is quick to believe any dark tale against Myrna, and eager to get her away from the family, believing her to bring ill luck, and be some kind of enchantress who has Fintan in her thrall. She tried to accept Myrna, at first, but was quickly put off by her inability to understand why Myrna is doing what she does, Deirdre believes her to be touched in the head. When the truth comes out, Deirdre re-analyses Myrna and tries to start afresh now that everything is clear. Myrna still saw what Deirdre was like, and while she knows she’ll have to live with the woman as a mother-in-law, she can’t see Deirdre in a friendly way after everything that was done. They are politely civil. 'Matrim' Mat is Fintan’s closest friend from boyhood, the pair are as alike as twins, and their relationship sometimes reminds Myrna of what was between William and Damon. That being the case, Mat is the William of that relationship, ever impulsive and running before he thinks. The hunting party that was out was at his insistence, to take everyone’s mind of the war, and he was an instant supporter of bringing Myrna back after they found her, going as far as to be the one to offer to carry her weaving. He never tried to flirt with her, seeing from the start that Fintan held some interest, and he became her unofficial guardian ay Saline. He’s always be close to escort her, and he’d keep an eye on her in public places, always intervening if the need arose. He looks out for her, as if he were a 7th big brother, and Myrna is very glad to have his steady friendship around. Mat doesn’t believe any of the allegations against Myrna, and he is the one to have word sent to Fintan as soon as she is put in prison. Myrna is incredibly grateful to him for everything that he has ever done for her, and he remains one of her closest friends, as well as one person she knows she can always trust. 'Tristan' Two years Fintan and Mat’s senior, Tristan was an orphan who was adopted into Fintan’s family as a small boy. He and Fintan consider themselves true brothers, and are unswervingly loyal to one another. Tristan is grave and serious, as a result of his parent’s deaths, and the only people who can make him smile are Fintan and Matrim. He trusts Fintan’s judgement on Myrna, and also watches over her with Mat. He is away more often, as he is head of the army, and always makes them go through manoeuvres to make sure they’re ready for anything. He has a calm, straightforward, nature, and isn’t prone to any anger at all. Myrna looks up to him, and finds him a good presence to have around when she just needs quiet. As first she was a little intimidated by his strong presence. He was with Fintan at the time of her arrest, but rode back with his brother as soon as they heard. He feels indebted to Myrna after her warning call made him able to stop an assassination on Fintan, and he is glad to welcome her into the family. 'Kayla' She is Fintan’s cousin, and was the first woman in Saline to approach Myrna with innocent curiosity, rather than suspicion. She is the same age as Myrna, and is glad to have another young woman of her age around Saline. Kayla is one of few to truly accept Myrna and what she does, she believes that Myrna weaves the starwort for some purpose, and doesn’t question this, she is happy to sit with Myrna and they sew together, Kayla talks, and Myrna gets by with hand signals. Kayla is an independent young woman, which infuriates her aunt, as does her desire to retain a friendship with Myrna. She fully supports Fintan’s feelings for Myrna, and encourages Myrna to reciprocate. She fights for Myrna when she is accused, and causes quite the fuss right up until the day it all ends. She’s overjoyed when Myrna speaks, and looks forward to her return, when they can spend more time together. For Myrna, having Kayla was like having a sister, something that she’d never had before. She valued that highly, and genuinely cares about and respects the other girl. 'Love Interest' 'Fintan' When she first met Fintan, Myrna was very cautious, and unwilling to take him up on his offer to bring her back to his castle as a guest. She wasn’t sure that she could trust him, knowing his family to be allied with hers, and worried that at any moment she could be revealed by someone who might recognise her. When she came to see the way in which Fintan would go out of his way to make things more comfortable for her, she came to open up to him a little, and not without a little persistence, he managed to make her comfortable enough around him to begin a communication of sorts. Myrna is unwilling to admit any romantic feelings for Fintan, because he is older, and out of her range while she’s like this, so she tells herself it’s just gratitude and friendship that she feels. She loves his caring nature, and how he’ll look out for others before himself. Also the quiet strength his presence gives makes her feel safer than most things. Fintan is the first person that she tells a little of her life to, not enough for him to piece anything together, but little things. As she did with her brothers, she carves him something, which he wears always, to her embarrassment when people ask him about it. Myrna believes that Fintan holds himself in a state of responsibility for her, and feels it his ‘job’ to ensure that she’s okay. She is at first against agreeing to his marriage proposal, thinking that to him it’s just to keep her safe, and she finds it hard to think that it could be genuine. Her feelings for Fintan are so strong that she impulsively breaks her silence in order to prevent his death.